


All the Old Familiar Places

by PlaidaleckiandSnackles



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:41:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2059683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlaidaleckiandSnackles/pseuds/PlaidaleckiandSnackles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Steve stepped slowly into the bathroom, speaking loud enough for Bucky to hear, but not loud enough to startle him. "Bucky, are you okay?" Bucky's head turned a fraction of an inch to the side in Steve's direction. Steve stepped closer, reaching to gently touch Bucky's right bicep. Bucky flinched, seeming to snap to, and looking at Steve with round, confused eyes. The circles under his eyes were darker than usual. Steve frowned. "Do you want help?" Bucky looked blankly from Steve to the tub, his brow furrowing. "</p>
<p>In which Steve finds ways to comfort Bucky through some of his rougher days...and helps him enjoy his better ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Old Familiar Places

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AO3 post, and my first attempt at Stucky fluff (and eventual smut), so be kind! I'm still feeling out my characters. Unbeta'd, all mistakes my own.

Bucky had good days and bad days. On the good days, he was more like the Bucky that Steve had fallen in love with before - mouthy, confident, and charming. He winked at Steve over his coffee, while he ran his tongue along the rim of the mug. He sat on the kitchen counter while Steve cooked, chatting easily and occasionally slapping Steve's ass with various kitchen utensils, laughing heartily when Steve spun around, looking scandalized, a blush coloring his cheeks. He planted gentle kisses on the top of Steve's head when he passed him reading on the couch, and pulled Steve into the darker corners of Stark Tower to make out. Steve loved his good days.

  
His bad days were unpleasant for everyone. Steve occasionally woke to Bucky missing, a window on their floor open, or the alarm on their elevator ringing continuously with the car halway past the floor, doors pried ajar and a cable in the elevator shaft slowly swinging to a stop. If they were lucky, that was the end of it, Bucky disappearing for a few hours and popping up suddenly, back to normal. But, more often than not, Bucky hid around the tower, tackling what he considered potential threats, and, on one occasion, was found with his hands clapped over his ears, yelling at JARVIS with wild eyes. He would look at Steve like he'd done that day on the bridge, only the tiniest spark of recognition in his eyes. He'd once tried holding Natasha at knifepoint, but that interaction ended badly for Bucky, earning him a black eye, a lip split in two places, a couple bruised ribs, and a new respect for the redhead. She'd gone easy on him.

  
But these days are by far the worst. Bucky is catatonic, blinking slowly, occasionally flinching slightly when Steve touches him or gets too close. Steve usually leaves him alone, staying in his general vicinity, bringing his meals to whatever room Bucky is in, sitting with his back hunched and eyes unfocused. He sets an extra plate down in case Bucky snaps out of it while the meal is still warm. He tries to read or do puzzles, something quiet, always glancing at Bucky every few seconds to make sure he's still there. Sometimes Steve can bring him back from the edge on these days. Sometimes his presence is enough to lure his Bucky back. Other days he has to try harder, careful not to startle Bucky and scare him off.

  
Steve woke up to an empty bed, and the sound of water running in the bathroom. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. In bright blue numbers, it read 4:07. He quietly slipped out of bed and padded across the floor in his underwear, slowing and peeking his head around the door of the bathroom. Bucky was standing in front of the bathtub, right hand on his left arm, thumb stroking the metal absently, his boxer briefs scrunched down around his hips, and missing a sock. His shirt was in a pile on the floor, and his hair was badly tangled in the back.

  
"...Buck?" Steve stepped slowly into the bathroom, speaking loud enough for Bucky to hear, but not loud enough to startle him. "Bucky, are you okay?" Bucky's head turned a fraction of an inch to the side in Steve's direction. Steve stepped closer, reaching to gently touch Bucky's right bicep. Bucky flinched, seeming to snap to, and looking at Steve with round, confused eyes. The circles under his eyes were darker than usual. Steve frowned. "Do you want help?" Bucky looked blankly from Steve to the tub, his brow furrowing. Steve took another, smaller step toward him, until he was standing next to him. "Let me help you clean up, Buck. Like you did for me when we were kids, remember?" Bucky's brows drew closer together in concentration.

  
"When we- we were...kids. You were sick..." Bucky murmured. Steve nodded, smiling softly.

  
"That's right." He reached down, testing the temperature of the water running from the faucet , adjusting a little warmer than where Bucky liked it, and flipping the small lever that plugged the tub. It began to fill slowly. He turned to Bucky. "You finished getting undressed, and I'll get some stuff from the bathroom closet, okay?" Bucky jerked a small nod, and Steve strode quickly into the adjoining bathroom, past the toilet and sink, and opened the closet, pulling out a new bar of soap, a towel and washcloth. On his way back to Bucky and the bathtub, he grabbed Bucky's comb off the counter by the sink. When he got back to Bucky he was still dressed, eyes sliding out of focus. Steve put the towel over the bar across from the tub, laid the washcloth over the edge of the tub, and set the soap on the holder, balancing the comb on top of it. "Buck? Are you ready?" he whispered. Bucky blinked slowly.

  
"We were kids..." Bucky mumbled. Steve's mouth tightened into a line.

  
"Bucky, I'm going to finish undressing you for your bath." He hooked his fingers in the waistband of Bucky's briefs, sliding them slowly down his legs, not wanting to take him by surprise or knock him off balance. When he got them to his ankles, he knelt, grasping one ankle in his hand and lifting slightly, until Bucky's knee bent, and Steve slipped the garment from his foot. He repeated the action on the other side, sliding the sock off his foot at the same time. He stood, checking the water level and turning off the faucet. "Are you ready to get in?" Bucky looked at him blankly. Steve took his elbow gently, and Bucky looked down at the water, faint curls of steam rising from it. He clasped Steve's arm and allowed him to guide him into the tub and down into the water, which rippled around his waist. He exhaled softly and closed his eyes, relaxing slightly.

  
"Warm." he mumbled quietly. Steve's mouth quirked at the corners, and he sighed, sinking to his knees next to the tub and reaching for the soap across the other side.  
Bucky's eyes flew open, and his right hand shot out of the water and latched onto Steve's wrist like a vice. His left hand curled around the edge of the tub, the metal fingers chipping the porcelain with small cracks. Steve froze.

  
"Buck, it's me. It's Stevie. I'm just getting the soap. I'm gonna clean you up, okay?" he said softly. Bucky's grip relaxed slightly and then his hand slipped back under the water. His metal arm eased on the tub's lip, small pieces of white porcelain showering the tiles. Steve pulled the comb and the soap from the ledge, setting the comb next to his right knee, dunking the soap under the water, and reaching for the washcloth before realizing it had slipped into the water when Bucky had grabbed the edge of the tub. He sighed softly, closing his eyes momentarily. He saw it under the water when he opened his eyes, near Bucky's hip. He slowly fished it out and wrung the excess water out, before rubbing the soap over it and setting the soap back on the ledge, Bucky's careful eyes on his every move. He met his eyes, smiling gently. "I'm going to wash your back, would you sit forward?" Bucky's chin jerked down in a curt nod, eyes still wary. Steve slid around the back of the tub, raising up on his knees and cupped his hands in the warm water, letting it run down Bucky's back. He ran the soapy cloth over Bucky's shoulders, pressing gently into the tensed muscles until they relaxed slightly. He brought the cloth down Bucky's spine and up his sides, covering each exposed inch of skin in small, white bubbles.

  
He smirked to himself, remembering all the baths Bucky had given him when he was at his sickest. He laid the washcloth over Bucky's right shoulder and rubbed it slowly down his arm, sliding up the underside and scrubbing gently at his armpit. Bucky made a small noise and twitched, and Steve smiled. Bucky had always been ticklish there. He rubbed the cloth lightly over Bucky's metal arm, cleaning it of surface dirt. He paused, shifting over to Bucky's left side and dunking the washcloth in the water, rubbing it with soap again and running it over Bucky's chest, along his collarbone, and up his neck. Bucky tipped his head back, closing his eyes and making a noise not unlike a sigh of content. Steve even washed behind his ears.

  
"Buck? Need to wash your legs now, can you left one out of the water?" Steve asked, and Bucky hummed, lifting his left leg out of the water and bracing it against the far edge of the tub. Steve continued his methodical cleansing of his best friend, grinning when he moved over the back of Bucky's knee and caused him to jerk his leg back. Another ticklish spot. He moved up each leg, going as far as his inner thigh before moving on. He scrubbed over Bucky's stomach and hips under the water, before draping the cloth back over the edge of the tub and stretching his back. "You need to rinse, tip back under the water. If you wet your hair I'll wash it, too." Bucky shot him a side-eyed look, but started leaning back, and Steve cradled the back of his head as he moved. "Don't want you to hit your head, Buck." He watched Bucky's head slip under the water, small bubbles forming in his nostrils, before he resurfaced and sat back up, rubbing the water from his eyes with his right hand. Steve pushed the hair off his face and reached for the shampoo.  
He squeezed a dollop into his hand and spread it between his palms before smoothing it over Bucky's hair and working it in. Bucky sighed, and settled back against the edge of the tub. Steve washed his hair as thoroughly as he could without getting his fingers tangled in the snarls toward the bottom. He placed a tentative kiss against the back of Bucky's left shoulder, just next to the seam where metal joined skin as he worked the shampoo through Bucky's hair. When he was satisfied with his work, he pressed gently on Bucky's back.

  
"Time to rinse again, Buck." Steve said. Bucky sighed and shifted foward before tipping back, Steve's hand cupped behind his head again. When he was submerged, Steve worked his fingers through the hair again, trying to rinse best he could. Bucky sat up again, and Steve moved around the side of the tub to get the conditioner Nat had insisted he keep for Bucky ("It'll make his hair so much softer, Steve. It's just as much for you as for him!"), and studied his face, eyes closed, water running down his face, clumping his thick eyelashes against his cheeks, the hollows under his cheekbones. He smiled affectionately, reaching out to wipe the water from his eyes and off his forehead. Bucky stiffened slightly. "I'm gonna put some of this conditioner stuff through your hair and try to comb out some of the knots, alright?" Bucky nodded, eyes still closed, and relaxed against the back of the tub. Steve smoothed his hands over Bucky's shoulders before flipping the lid on the conditioner, squeezing out a small amount and pulling it gently through the dark locks. He remembered Nat had told him to tell Bucky to let it sit on his hair for a few minutes "for maximum softness", and sat back on his heels, closing his eyes and stretching out his neck, wincing when it popped.

  
"Remember that time I took you to get your hair cut?" Bucky asked quietly, and Steve opened his eyes, knitting his eyebrows together and then relaxing. He nodded and huffed out a soft laugh. Bucky was coming back to him.

  
"Yeah, the barber gave me the kid's discount, even though I was 16. You teased me the whole way home."

  
"Yeah but I bought you a milkshake on the way back, didn't I? With my last nickel." Bucky challenged lightly. Steve flushed and smiled sheepishly, nodding.

  
"You always took care of me." he mumbled, mostly to himself. Bucky opened his eyes, studying Steve's face carefully.

  
"Tables turned now, huh Stevie?" he whispered sadly. Steve shook head slightly, leaning over enough to rest his chin on Bucky's metal arm. Bucky winced.

  
"Nah, now we take care of each other." He kissed the metal, warmer than usual from the water, and shifted back behind Bucky, taking the comb with him. "Gonna try and get some of these tangles out, okay? It might hurt a little." He started gently combing through Bucky's hair, careful not to tug too hard when he came to a knot. "Hey, maybe while I'm doing this, you should uh, get to the spots I missed?" he suggested, and Bucky snorted quietly.

  
"You want me to wash my junk." Bucky snickered. Steve huffed, yanking on a combed through portion playfully. Bucky chuckled and obliged.

  
When Steve was done combing Bucky's hair, he had him stand up, leaning over to flip the lever again to unplug the tub, which immediately started draining. He turned on the shower head and told Bucky to rinse. As he was straightening, he felt the familiar weight of Bucky's hand on the back of his head, and smiled. There he was.

  
"Let's focus on getting you out of the shower first, Buck, alright?" Steve said lightly.

  
"Fine." Bucky huffed, pouting.

  
Once Bucky had rinsed clean, Steve unfolded the towel he'd left on the towel rack, and waited with open arms as Bucky shut off the water and stepped out, before wrapping it around him and pressing a light kiss to his collarbone. Bucky leaned his head against Steve's. His hair dripped cool water down Steve's chest, and he shivered.

  
"Let's go get back in bed, what do you say, Buck? Warm up some and then get some breakfast later?"

  
Bucky hummed his assent. "Maybe if you're lucky, I'll buy you a milkshake."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, feel free to leave constructive criticism in the comments! :)


End file.
